


Law and Disorder

by forthemyoui



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-26
Updated: 2017-06-26
Packaged: 2018-11-19 08:48:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11309919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/forthemyoui/pseuds/forthemyoui
Summary: Nayeon is a detective in the Gangnam precinct in Seoul. Her colleagues, Sana and Momo, are getting a little overprotective about the newest addition to the squad.





	Law and Disorder

**Author's Note:**

> I’ve been watching too much police-themed television, and this is the result of that. I couldn’t resist inserting a few references to the show either. Am I cheating on MiMo? Yes, potentially. Wrote this on my phone today, and as per usual it has not been proofread. Enjoy.

Nayeon is late for work, which isn't an uncommon occurrence. Sometimes the showerhead gets stuck in its stand, sometimes Nayeon pours orange juice into her cereal instead of milk. Either way, adulthood is difficult and being a couple of minutes late to work isn't a criminal offence. Especially when you're good friends with your precinct's chief. Who is she kidding, Jihyo's going to scream at her.   
  
Except when she tumbles into the station, Jihyo isn't raising her voice as she probably would have been doing by now. The station is eerily quiet, and the desks are empty. Highly suspicious. Nayeon signs out her weapon at the empty check-in desk and pulls her gun in its holster off the rack. She does the routine floor sweep and crouches low, moving past the desks and slipping around the corner into the break room.   
  
"Officer Im, what are you doing?"   
  
Nayeon gets up, pointing the mouth of her gun away from the mess of legs and sheathing it in its holster. The precinct's officers are crowded in the break room, Jihyo standing in the middle of them.   
  
"I thought-"   
  
Jihyo raised both eyebrows, putting her hand on her belt. "That the precinct was getting raided? Like when you forgot it was the weekend and came to work and then almost reported a precinct emergency?"   
  
Nayeon frowns deeply at Sana laughing at her quietly. "In my defence, Momo did the same thing."   
  
Momo sticks her head out of the crowd of approximately ten, sticking out her tongue at Nayeon. Jihyo gives Nayeon a look that says 'comparing yourself to Momo is scraping the bottom of the barrel'. They all knew Momo had once left the safety lock on her gun off for the entire day and occasionally communicated with the pink unicorn toy she left under her desk at work.   
  
Jihyo has a small smile on her face that means 'you'll never hear the end of this one'. "Either way, you didn't miss much. We're just finishing up with welcoming the new member to the squad. Cases will be assigned in the next hour in my office."   
  
New member. Nayeon searches the break room, remembering suddenly that Sana and Momo have been talking all month about their 'younger sibling' graduating police academy and joining the force. She'd written it down to weird overprotectiveness and forgotten about it.   
  
"The welcome's generally over, but Ms. Myoui, that's Officer Im. Most senior on this young squad, mainly manages homicide cases. Nayeon, this is Ms. Myoui Mina."   
  
After saying this, Jihyo gestures to the woman beside her, who has shoulder-length black hair and proper work attire on. Her eyes are shy and her smile is small and adorable, and Nayeon swallows at the sight of Sana and Momo flanking her, remembering all the death threats they issued to Jackson and the others about mistreating or coming onto their friend.   
  
"Hi," Mina says, and Nayeon wants to curl up in a ball and die, or alternatively lock Sana and Momo in the filing room such that she never has to look at their wary faces again.   
  
"Uhm, hello," Nayeon croaks out.   
  
Mina smiles, giggles almost, and Nayeon can see her gums. Nayeon looks somewhere else to see Chaeyoung, Dahyun, and Tzuyu narrowing their eyes at her. She coughs.   
  
"Everyone dismissed!" Jihyo calls, and the crowd disperses.   
  
Nayeon is absolutely screwed.   
  
-   
  
"You're going to make them very mad," Tzuyu says calmly as she walks past Nayeon's desk.   
  
"Very mad," Chaeyoung reiterates disinterestedly, not even looking away from her computer screen at the desk opposite Nayeon's.   
  
Nayeon's about to open her mouth when Dahyun cuts her off with a final 'very mad'.   
  
Nayeon is sweating, nearly draws a wayward line across the case report she's filling in, and blurts out a desperate retort. "I don't know what you're talking about!"   
  
Chaeyoung, Dahyun, and Tzuyu lead Nayeon's gaze over to where Jeongyeon is kindly and patiently showing Mina how to work the old copier in the station, and Nayeon's eyes shift around Mina's frame, nervous.   
  
"Also," Dahyun adds, smirking, "Jihyo isn't into unprofessional work relations, which means you have three people working against you."   
  
"What if I just want to be a nice senior and make friends!" Nayeon exclaims, exasperated, actually scribbling a line across her report; her voice is so loud that she alerts Jeongyeon and Mina, and also Jihyo, who squints from behind the blinds in her office.   
  
Nayeon notices that all eyes are on her. She takes the opportunity to shove her toy rabbit deeper into a drawer in her desk, and gets up to go to Jihyo's office for a case assignment when her name is called with excellent timing.   
  
"Sit down," Jihyo says when Nayeon files into her office sheepishly.   
  
"So, I've closed another two cases, and have just one open at the moment. What am I being assigned?" Nayeon asks, sitting down across Jihyo.   
  
"Not so fast," Jihyo tells her, and then pushes down on a button on her landline phone, speaking into the microphone. "Paging for Ms. Myoui. My office, now."   
  
Nayeon can feel the gazes of the youngest officers on her through the blinds of Jihyo's office. She keeps still until the new addition to the squad opens Jihyo's office door, bows upon reaching Jihyo's desk, and remains standing.   
  
"Sit down, Ms. Myoui. The reason I've called you both here is that you two will be working on a neighbourhood robbery case. Four break-ins in a single week, same MO each time, in Apgujeong."   
  
"So, stakeout?" Nayeon asks.   
  
"I think it'd be best," Jihyo confirms. "Dahyun and Jeongyeon handled visiting the houses that were broken into, so they'll give you the case file and evidence reference numbers."   
  
Nayeon narrows her eyes at Jihyo. It isn't common for Jihyo to be giving her leftovers. Usually wrap-up duties get passed on to less experienced officers so that senior officers can start working on tougher cases.   
  
"I'm hoping you will learn things from Officer Im," Jihyo gestures to Nayeon, "on your first case."   
  
Mina nods, pleasant and professional. "I look forward to it."   
  
Jihyo scans Nayeon's attire. "And hopefully she will learn some things from you too."   
  
Nayeon looks down at her outfit. Adidas sweatpants and a sweatshirt. The only part of her that's presentable is her face; she remembered, at least, basic makeup and signature red lipstick. She blushes. There really isn't a good reason to look cute on Mondays, Nayeon thinks; Mondays don't deserve Nayeon looking cute at the office. If she'd known a cute girl would be arriving that day, though, she'd have re-thought her outfit and worn something like that new blouse she got while shopping in Hongdae the week before.   
  
"It's practical," Nayeon mumbles, but Jihyo ignores her entirely.   
  
"Ms. Myoui, Jeongyeon will get you your weapon and brief you on the usual safety procedures. You may take your leave."   
  
Mina bows wordlessly and exits Jihyo's office.   
  
"Don't be insulted," Jihyo says quickly, reaching over the polished oak desk that is several times more organised than Nayeon's own desk. "I know this is an easy-as-hell wrap-up, but it's good to start new journeys off on the right foot, and I'm hoping an easy close will do just that for Mina. Think of it as a confidence-boosting beginning to a new job."   
  
Nayeon scowled. "I didn't get that on my first day."   
  
Jihyo sighs, folding her arms over her blazer and button-up. "Look, we were friends in the academy, and on your first day you told me to say hi to your 'partner-in-crime' rabbit."   
  
"Was it bad phrasing?" Nayeon asks.   
  
"I just don't have the habit of speaking to inanimate objects. You are dismissed."   
  
-   
  
Nayeon exits Jihyo's office looking like a criminal. Sana is leant against Dahyun's desk and Momo is sitting on Chaeyoung's lap. Both Japanese ladies are staring Nayeon down, and Dahyun at least is looking very pleased with herself.   
  
"Here, sunbaenim," a sweet voice interrupts the mid-station staredown; Nayeon turns to find Mina holding onto her officer jacket, which she receives with a nervous smile.   
  
Momo's eyes dig into Nayeon's skull, as if knowing exactly the heart-stopping effect of Mina's "sunbaenim"s on the average individual and daring Nayeon to make a wrong move.   
  
"Take care of our Mina," Sana says with a threatening undertone that implies 'but not too well, and not too closely'.   
  
"Keep your eyes on the road!" Jackson calls helpfully, standing up from his desk and waving unnecessarily; Nayeon has the urge to dump the contents of her wastepaper basket on that idiot's head.   
  
Nayeon's about to say something snide, but Mina gracefully walks past Sana, patting the woman on her shoulder and re-assuring her that they'll be just fine.   
  
Nayeon shrugs on the deep blue police jacket, smoothing down the tears and rips in the sheer waterproof material that lies above the cotton layer beneath. She, for one, is not going to be fine.   
  
-   
  
The morning is peaceful. It's a villa in Apgujeong, clustered in with other landed housing. Nayeon has both hands on the steering wheel of the police cruiser, bored as they play the waiting game.   
  
Nayeon looks over at Mina, who is in the police jacket (which Nayeon will admit looks very good on her), a dress shirt, and dress pants. She's studiously looking over the documents in the case file.   
  
"It's past the usual window of time," Mina comments.   
  
"We could wait a little longer," Nayeon tells her. "Sometimes the perps change things up a little in order to throw us off their trail, especially if they think we're on to their MO."   
  
Mina nods, the perfect picture of an obedient subordinate. But really, she can only hold in her words for approximately five minutes while some odd classical music plays through the car's speakers.   
  
"I was reading some protection request files when I got in early last week, and I noticed the precinct denied the request of a rather prominent tech firm, Jinseong."   
  
Nayeon nodded, shoving her hands into the pockets of her jacket. "Right, we're for the public, not for private corporate use."   
  
Mina nods again, looking strangely eager. "Hmm, but the CEO was predicting theft, and I understand that Chief Park responded that there was no real threat of such an offence against the corporation and couldn't put officers on their case. Jinseong's been developing some important software without a patent, and when the police department rejected the CEO's request for protection, the executives must have thought that it would put an end to CEO Jung's paranoia."   
  
Nayeon nods. "Okay."   
  
Mina's eyes narrow for just a second. Nayeon doesn't want to tell her that Jihyo has put them on an easy wrap-up for the sake of the newbie, and that she's overcomplicating things in a confusing manner at the moment.   
  
"The CEO lives in this neighbourhood," Mina finishes. "The last of the four houses to be robbed. No hullabaloo from anyone, though, because the thief's been grabbing cash and some valuable items, but nothing big enough to make wealthy Apgujeong residents worry."   
  
Nayeon bites into her cheek, eyes widening. "So you're theorising that someone is hiding a high-profile theft of intellectual property in the middle of some petty theft cases, so as to not arouse suspicions. And the guy isn't showing up now because his job is done."   
  
The new officer finally smiles, satisfied and relieved. "Yes. Thank you for believing in me, sunbaenim."   
  
Nayeon feels her knees go weak at that, but it isn't as overwhelming as the feeling of having wrongly underestimated the newbie who worked the case out in such a small frame of time.   
  
"Did you reason that out during this car journey?" Nayeon asks.   
  
Mina shakes her head. "I… like to be prepared. I was given a preliminary tour of the station late last week and I noticed Officer Yoo and Kim prepping a case file for a transferral. So I assumed Chief Park was crafting a welcome case for me and… I did the readings with what I could get my hands on. I only got the case file today, though."   
  
Nayeon breaks into a smile that makes Mina go red somehow. "You're the studious sort, aren't you?"   
  
Mina doesn't respond to that, only thinks about her record of being over-prepared as a police cadet in the academy. It got her an early graduation, though, so she isn't going to let herself be too embarrassed about it. Meanwhile, Nayeon is deep in thought about how to get Mina to blush like that more often.   
  
"You're cute," Nayeon blurts as her phone beeps once beside her.   
  
Nayeon takes the God-given opportunity to look away from Mina's reaction to her blatant, shameless observation. The text is from Momo. It says 'I hope you're treating Mina well, and don't do anything Sana and I wouldn't appreciate'.   
  
"What is it?"   
  
"Oh," Nayeon says, swallowing. "Nothing. Look, we'll need to get another warrant to search the last victim's house again, and we'll need proof for your theory, or Jihyo isn't going to let us complicate a simple robbery case."   
  
Mina is silent. "So…"   
  
"We'll go back, tell Jihyo the perp didn't show, and we'll look through evidence in the after-hours," Nayeon explains calmly, as if she's done this with all of her other supposedly simple cases, which she definitely has.   
  
"After-hours," Mina echoes. "I'm sorry you have to stay back, sunbaenim."   
  
"Could you just call me Nayeon?" Nayeon interrupts the apology. "I mean, I like 'sunbaenim'; it really is cute coming from you, but you can be casual with me."   
  
"Okay, Nayeon… unnie," Mina attempts.   
  
"You like honorifics and formalities, don't you," Nayeon sighs. "Okay then."   
  
Nayeon gets the car moving again, but suddenly a soft hand is on hers on the gear shift, and Nayeon feels her heart leap and Sana virtually smack her across the head.   
  
"Do you think we could grab some ice-cream before going back or is that not protocol, Nayeon-unnie?" Mina asks as if she hasn't asked anything of anyone in her entire life.   
  
In Nayeon's head, Sana and Momo are arresting her for behaving inappropriately with a subordinate, and Jihyo is shaking her head solemnly at her. In reality, the sunlight is shining strongly through the car windows and Mina's neck is exposed and pale and smooth in the light. Mina's expression is unreadable.   
  
"I know one a block away from here," Nayeon replies tightly and tears her eyes away from Mina.   
  
And then Nayeon drives Mina, who clutches a small cup of cherry-lime sorbet, back to the station, and they report to Jihyo the lack of movement while Sana and Momo eye them as if they've just spent seven minutes locked in a closet at a high school friend's party. And really, for Nayeon, it's not all that far off.   
  
-   
  
Twelve minutes before six, Nayeon nearly tackles Jeongyeon to the floor in the pantry. Jeongyeon gets up looking annoyed and checking on her yogurt in her hand.   
  
"What?"   
  
"You've got to help me."   
  
"Why would I?" Jeongyeon frowns. "You MIA-ed today on our mission to close more cases than those two nitwits that sit nearest to the bathrooms."   
  
Nayeon peeks out of the pantry and looks at Jackson changing the score on the whiteboard and Jae high-fiving him while he's at it. Tzuyu is unbothered, Chaeyoung is probably writing an anti-bureaucracy, anarchistic rap for her mixtape in her head, and Dahyun, the church girl and teacher's pet, seems to be repenting on behalf of the four officers involved in a petty bet about who can close more cases.   
  
"Gosh, I forgot, I'm sorry," Nayeon admits, thinking about how messed up her mind must be to forget about the gigantic bet whose deadline is fast approaching (it's tomorrow evening, in fact). "I'll get back on that. But please. If you don't help me, I'll tell Momo you've been stealing from her yogurt stash."   
  
Jeongyeon shrugs, digging deeper into the cup of strawberry yogurt. "Go ahead. Last week I convinced her she bought me the entire pack as a late birthday gift and forgot."   
  
Nayeon opens her mouth and then narrows her eyes. "Your birthday isn't for another couple of months."   
  
Jeongyeon nods. "Yep. Okay, so what do you need help with?"   
  
Eyeing her surroundings, Nayeon drags Jeongyeon deeper into the pantry so that they're out of any officer's line of sight. She raises the fabric of her jacket to act as a screen but Jeongyeon slaps it away.   
  
"Sana and Momo are on my case because they think I'm going to molest their friend," Nayeon whispers. "And by 'molest' I mean in the sense of harassment, okay, don't quote me on that."   
  
A few nods from Jeongyeon. "Aren't you, though?"   
  
Nayeon tries to look as scandalised as possible. "Wha- what, no! No! I'm a professional and- she's a junior and subordinate- I just- are you sure it's not you who is intending on molesting her?"   
  
The withering look Nayeon gets in return for her flustered breakdown says it all. Nayeon groans, folds her arms, tucks her jacket closely around her torso, and hits her forehead against the wall several times.   
  
"What do you need me to do, give Sana and Momo a distraction while you talk up your lady? This isn't 1985, we have phones. Just talk to Mina over text, I'm sure those two aren't monitoring your devices."   
  
Nayeon squints. "How can you be so sure?"   
  
"Because it's a federal offence," Jeongyeon says matter-of-factly and then dumps her empty cup of yogurt into the bin next to her, "and those two are officers."   
  
Nayeon shakes her head. "That doesn't mean anything. Last month I asked Sana to name one law and she said 'don't kill people'."   
  
"That's not technically wrong, just very poorly and colloqiually phrased," Jeongyeon says quickly. "Now, for her number. Jihyo got us to exchange personal contacts in the break room earlier today, but you missed that. I'll just text you her number."   
  
Nayeon takes a deep breath in. "If I accept that means I'm admitting I'm into a subordinate."   
  
"You said that out loud. I just texted you her number."   
  
Nayeon looks up in time to see Jeongyeon hitting a button on her screen. She looks down just as her phone pings in her pocket. It feels like the weight of a thousand rocks, like waving a close friend off after they've dropped off a pet in her care for the week, and Nayeon is very bad at pet-care.   
  
"Also!" Nayeon quickly grabs Jeongyeon's attention again. "I need to stay back after-hours to sort out this case that turned out to be more complex than I originally thought. Jihyo won't believe that I give a shit enough to do over-time work and definitely won't give us permission to further a simple robbery case. You know how she is about us going off-tangent unnecessarily."   
  
Her friend of seven years nods understandingly. They've both been with Jihyo since she moved up a grade easily in the police academy and knocked the socks off every other officer-in-training. Jihyo's competent and a lovely chief, but also has to answer to bureaucracy and doesn't like her officers wasting time on far-fetched theories unless they have something to prove their hunches. It's economical, and Jihyo's mostly right about what's legitimate and what isn't anyway.   
  
"I'm not intelligent enough to think up an alibi for you," Jeongyeon tells her patiently. "Nobody would believe anything; you don't answer work calls on weekends, you call work on Mondays the interruption of your beauty rest, and Friday evenings are spa nights for your feet, so you don't do drinks then."   
  
"Shit."   
  
"Just hide in the bathroom."   
  
"Ah. Yes. Okay."   
  
Jeongyeon smiles, pitying. "Your head is not on right. Okay, you owe me some quick case closures. You lost us a two-case lead today. I'm not going to wash that pair's socks for a month. You'd better get it together by tomorrow. Clock's ticking. Pull through."   
  
Nayeon sighs, nods, and hugs Jeongyeon. Jeongyeon hugs her back and then strolls out of the break room in time to shout at Jackson for putting his feet up on her pile of open case files.   
  
Nayeon runs for the toilets.   
  
-   
  
Half an hour and too much pacing later, the door to the bathroom opens and Nayeon pulls her gun out of her holster. She puts it down once she sees that it's Mina, looking half-scared and half-amused.   
  
"I'm sorry, this doesn't happen often," Nayeon says.   
  
"Do you want to show me the evidence room?" Mina asks, smiling but still all-business.   
  
When they get there, Nayeon has to admit that she's not the best at bagging and labelling evidence because that stuff is boring and only good for when she wants to waste time and do her nails in the station. When Mina just nods, she then explains that she's gotten better because she has to make sure she doesn't screw up case closure in order to better compete with Jae and Jackson.   
  
"That sounds kind of childish," Mina says as they rifle through a large metal cabinet of plastic bags, some yellow to indicate biohazardous material, "and also really fun. I never got to do that kind of stuff in the academy."   
  
"Why?" Nayeon asks absentmindedly, actually very focused on finding the catalogued pieces of evidence from the last burglary.   
  
Mina hums and haws, hands pausing in between the bags. "Uh, I guess I was just too much of a rule-follower, and too quiet."   
  
Nayeon smiles to herself. "You can start making friends and taking part in fun bets here."   
  
In two minutes they find the set of four evidence bags. The first is the seemingly burnt number-pad lock that fell away pretty easily from the burglar's messing with the wires in the lock. The second is the fallen title-plate of a painting stolen from the house. The third is a footprint transferred onto paper and the fine soil particles that came with it. The fourth is, as usual, a collection of photographs from the crime scene.   
  
"A little sloppy," Nayeon comments with raised eyebrows. "Clearly seems like his heart wasn't in the robbery at all."   
  
"The most valuable item in the house was left unstolen," Mina says, sliding a photograph over the table they're standing over to Nayeon. "A set of auctioned jewellery just in the next room. He would have seen it; no excuse for a rushed exit because it wasn't a frantic departure from the scene."   
  
"How have you figured out the layout of the house so quickly?" Nayeon says, impressed. "I guess I should expect that from the honour student."   
  
Mina turns red and looks down at her hands. "Not exactly that. I've been in this house before."   
  
When Nayeon gapes at her, about to pull a gun on her new subordinate and recent crush, Mina waves her hands in front of her quickly to dispel any suspicions.   
  
"No, he's a friend of my father. I just was looking forward specifically to handling this case because I wanted to show my father that a police career is good for something, that I can be accomplished here too."   
  
Nayeon looks intently across at her subordinate. God, she sounds a little embarrassed, and her earnestness is falling away, washed away by shame and something that sounds similar to loneliness. Even though Nayeon made friends with Jihyo and Jeongyeon, she's always been, during her most private times, a lone wolf, and she thinks about what it might have been like to meet Mina inside the academy.   
  
"Well," Nayeon tries, suddenly feeling the burden of being an unnie and senior, "at least you're not related by blood to the victim, because then we'd have to pull you from the case."   
  
Mina nods slowly, back to looking at her hands. "I'm sorry for not saying all this at first."   
  
As Mina apologises, she lifts a hand to Nayeon's face a little shyly, and Nayeon wants to yell not to do that because it's just going to make her crush on Mina worse. This is a terrible place for that, because it's night and they're alone and-   
  
"Uh look," Nayeon says quickly, face burning, "there are photographs of his office. It's clean, but… the scratches on the side of his laptop. A little uncommon for the CEO of a tech company to have beaten up USB drive sockets."   
  
Mina's eyes widen. "That's perfect."   
  
She looks up at Nayeon with a large gummy smile on her face. It's somewhere in between that of a childish adult that's just gotten candy and that of the competitive ace at a police academy. Nayeon likes both options.   
  
Mina looks back down at the photographs before they can talk anymore, and she points out the uneven pressure on the footprint. Telltale sign for someone wearing shoes too big for them in order to disguise their size.   
  
"Okay, now we just need to key in the information into the system and see if someone comes up," Nayeon says. "The criminal database should have a small-sized person who works in tech crime, left hand might be injured considering the distress on the USB outlets."   
  
Mina raises a brow at the quick deduction. "Okay. Do we need to identify them now, though?"   
  
Nayeon is slightly embarrassed by her behaviour as an officer senior to Mina. She re-explains the bet she has with Jae and Jackson and then informs Mina that the deadline is tomorrow. She conveniently leaves out the fact that Jeongyeon is on her case about her not having her head in tje game.   
  
Chaeyoung, who handles most database entries and queries and cyber-crime, is not very happy about being disturbed late in the evening. She's not sleeping, but the background noises sound suspicious, to say the least.   
  
"Christ, I'll just teach you how to work the system and then re-secure the database tomorrow," Chaeyoung yells over the sound of music and someone… breathing into the phone. "Just wait for my text."   
  
When Nayeon is left with the dial tone, she turns to see Mina looking a bit… intrigued.   
  
Nayeon shrugs. "Chaeyoung has the… classic image of a 1960s detective. She does the whole leather jacket getup and has scars and she… picks up girls at bars."   
  
"Oh," Mina says simply.   
  
"Yup. She's cool."   
  
Mina stares at her for a moment before saying, "I think you're pretty cool too. I think the rabbit you keep in your desk is cute."   
  
Nayeon blushes madly and tries to think of something to say, considers never bringing Kkaengie to work again if she decides after a full sleepless night of tossing and turning that Mina doesn't mean what she said. Fortunately her phone beeps with the password and instructions on making a query.   
  
"Eighteen-year old who got bail after being commissioned by a firm to steal intellectual property from Samsung, fractured her left arm when resisting arrest," Mina reads. "Spot on."   
  
Nayeon grabs Mina's hand before she can catch herself, and then when she does catch herself, she presses on anyway because she wants to. "Thanks. Couldn't have done it without you. Might have needed to wash a month's work of smelly socks if we'd waited for a house burglar that wouldn't have shown."   
  
Mina reciprocates by keeping Nayeon's hand in hers and, probably without the intention of pleasing Nayeon so, running her hand through her dark hair. "It's nothing. Thanks for listening to me. On second thought, however, how did we wait for four burglaries to happen before getting properly on the case?"   
  
Nayeon shrugs. "Cases just pile up."   
  
"There must be a way to make the system more efficient," Mina says quietly, determinedly; Nayeon stares at her in wonder, confused as to how Mina is friends with Sana and Momo.   
  
"Jihyo will really like you," Nayeon observes.   
  
Mina looks for a chair so she can sit next to Nayeon at the table in the evidence room, but there's just one for where Mark handles most of the registration and organisation. Mina moves to sit on Nayeon's lap and Nayeon grips the edge of the metal table, hoping not to get a heart attack.   
  
"Sorry," Mina breathes, and Nayeon realises just how close they are, and how quiet the station is. "I just wanted to know… whether you like me? I'm sorry if I've been reading the signs wrong. I've been watching you from my desk all day and - well, first, you're really attractive at work - and you keep looking over too."   
  
"Oh," Nayeon responds poorly, because her heart is beating out of her chest and she can feel the weight of Sana and Momo on her shoulders, even as they probably are gyrating up against some people in the club in the most unceremonious manner.   
  
Mina watches patiently for an answer, face just beginning to fall. Nayeon quickly tightens her hold on Mina's hand.   
  
"I- yes. God, this is very inappropriate. We're colleagues, and you're younger, and do you… also like me? Is that a thing? Is that possible? Because while I think I am very cute and a great catch, I'm also very bad at adulting and I wear sweatpants to work, and sometimes I buy more soda than I buy milk, and I also choose to spend more of my salary on cute toys than I do on clearing my bills-"   
  
"You're advertising yourself very well," Mina says with a small smile. "Yeah, I think I like you."   
  
"Okay great!" Nayeon says with a small whimper of anxiety. "That means Momo and Sana are going to dump me in a vat of lava."   
  
Mina laughs at this. "Why?"   
  
"They've been on everyone's back for a whole month, reminding people that they'll murder anyone who goes near their friend and also characterise them as a creep. Because you're young and also-"   
  
"Sana's with Officer Kim," Mina blurts suddenly.   
  
"She- who- Kim Dahyun?!" Nayeon exclaims, nearly jolting out of her seat and displacing Mina; Mina hangs on for dear life and Nayeon quickly apologises.   
  
"Well, yeah, she tries to hide it, but I once walked in on them in Sana's apartment," Mina relates, leaving out the details.   
  
Nayeon leans in closer. "This is shocking, but good. Does Momo know?"   
  
"I don't think so."   
  
"Excellent. I'm winning the bet and I have blackmail material on Sana. She'll keep Momo off."   
  
Mina smiles, quietly amused again. She shifts in Nayeon's lap, making the senior officer feel her weight more consciously now.   
  
"So, what, should we exchange numbers and maybe get a meal sometime?" Mina asks, face incredibly close; her own cheeks are red and Nayeon guesses she doesn't get this forward often.   
  
"I, uh, Jeongyeon gave me your number," Nayeon says, flustered and extremely embarrassed at how much she seems overly interested in Mina; she lifts her phone and puts it between their bodies.   
  
When they look at the unopened message from Jeongyeon, Nayeon turns even redder. It reads 'ask for it yourself you stupid shit, have you learnt nothing about picking up girls from Chaeyoung and me? It's about sincerity, and it's also a good opening line.'   
  
Mina grins. "Yeah, let me key it in."   
  
Nayeon watches with absolute admiration and drunken enjoyment as Mina looks down at her phone and keys in her number. When Mina's done and about to return her the phone, Nayeon grabs the phone, chucks it aside, listens to it fall to the floor instead, and, uncaring, takes Mina's face in her hands and kisses her soundly.   
  
Nayeon has decided by now that Mina's quite a proper person, but the ache in her stomach she got this morning has returned and that means Mina feels a bit of teeth on her lower lip. She inhales, surprised, but gives back as much as she gets.   
  
As the slightly more experienced one of the two, Nayeon's large hands cup Mina's jaw and guides her head just the right way. Nayeon draws back, staring in a dazed manner at Mina's lips as she comes away from the kiss. Mina's lips are swollen. She looks lovely like that.   
  
"You know, my knees kind of buckle when you say 'sunbaenim' or 'unnie'," Nayeon mutters in a low voice, a little unbothered by her own loose lips after a mind-blowing kiss.   
  
Mina nods into Nayeon's neck. "Note taken."   
  
"I'm not sure if I'm telling you to do it more or less," Nayeon rambles. "Also, do you need a ride home?"   
  
"Hmm," Mina says sitting up. "I came by bus."   
  
"Would you… perhaps like to return to my apartment instead? I can provide a change of clothes. Not all my outfits are like this, I promise. I look extremely cute on most days. I just like to show Mondays who's boss."   
  
Mina laughs, gums showing in that adorable way. "I'd love to. And you already look cute."   
  
"Great," Nayeon says as they get up and begin returning the evidence bags, "then you'll be in for a treat tomorrow, because I'll be several times as cute."   
  
Mina isn't sure how Nayeon's going to top her sleepy-eyed look with smeared red lipstick and messy baggy clothing, but apparently Nayeon looks really good in shorts and a large shirt in her apartment. Nayeon wasn't lying when she said she bought a lot more soda than milk and 'responsible adult' beverages but it's okay. Nayeon's apartment is a charming, tiny, very Korean apartment with pastel walls and lamps on the floor, and fitting onto her bed is a nice experience.   
  
-   
  
When Nayeon drives into work the next morning, she's on time because Mina set a reliable alarm. She was almost late because Mina was standing by the refrigerator (which is just some steps away from her bed) in her clothing with a bowl of cereal in hand, and it was just too much not to peck her on the lips. Thankfully Mina's the sort to have self-control and Nayeon's the sort to let Sana and Momo talk her into feeling guilt about this thing.   
  
They get out of the car and Nayeon subtly jerks a thumb at the pair of binoculars sticking out of the office on the second storey. When the pair of binoculars shakes and is almost dropped, Mina concludes that it's Sana.   
  
"Control your girlfriend or the secret's getting out," Nayeon whispers to Dahyun as she enters the precinct, and Dahyun's face pales and her lips are pursed in that sort of 'oh no' manner and Sana runs over in a second.   
  
By a quarter to noon, Nayeon and Mina put out an arrest warrant for the perp and send a warning to Jinseong Incorporated. Jihyo is pleased, Jeongyeon closes one more case after busting a drug cartel, and Nayeon is watching the clock to change the scoreboard and bring home a win.   
  
"Twenty-one cases within the month," Jeongyeon announces. "Slam dunk. All our paperwork for the week. Thanks losers."   
  
Jihyo stalks out of her office, spectating the victory in a slightly displeased but also somewhat impressed manner. "I'm glad you were all able to find motivation for work aside from altruistically helping out the civilians living in this district. Also, congratulations to Officer Hirai for sniffing out the homicide culprit based on the brand of potato chips he eats frequently."   
  
The three youngest officers stare, unimpressed, as Momo grins and pops open another bag of those chips.   
  
"Drinks on me this evening. Back to work," Jihyo orders and returns to her office.   
  
Nayeon takes Mina out for lunch during their break at a quiet diner. Nayeon's in a sheer blouse and jeans today, and her hair is up. Mina tells her she looks cute still. Once they've placed their orders, someone shoves Nayeon deeper into her booth seat and Nayeon turns to find Sana and Momo intruding on their lunch.   
  
"Well," Momo says, "we were sure this was going to happen sooner or later. Not this, exactly, we thought it'd be Jeongyeon, what with her charm, or someone we didn't know."   
  
"It's time to meet the in-laws," Sana says, unfolding a piece of paper from her pocket.   
  
"I know you," Nayeon growls. "We've worked together for years."   
  
"Greetings!" Sana begins reciting the script. "We are Minatozaki Sana and Hirai Momo. You might recognise us from places such as 'the car always parked across your house' or 'the binoculars opposite your office building'."   
  
"Once again, I know who you are, and I think you might need a restraining order," Nayeon says, waving away the waiter who sets down two glasses of water for Sana and Momo. "They'll be leaving soon. They're not our guests."   
  
"We will now be reading from a list of things we might do to you if you break Myoui Mina's heart," Momo continues, "given that we have the financial capability and leisure to do so, at that point in time."   
  
Nayeon looks over at Mina, who is fiddling with her utensils. "This is so sad because we can't call the cops. Wait, can we call Jihyo?"   
  
"Listen!" Sana insists, and Nayeon sighs.   
  
"Sorry," Mina smiles and shrugs.   
  
Nayeon catches sight of the smear of red lipstick on Mina's chin and decides to focus on it until Sana and Momo's list of potentially incriminating threats ends. Entirely worth it.


End file.
